see through roof

[tathead41]

im trying to design a teardrop with a see through roof made from plexiglass or another see through plastic ......any tips or tricks that anyone has or opinions PLEASE HELP

[emiller]

Make sure you have a way to block out the sun when you want to sleep in.

[mezmo]

Hi tathead41,

See bobhenry's Chubby build. That's got exactly what you're looking for.

Cheers,
Norm/mezmo

[prohandyman]

Yes and be sure to send Bob a Pm about the roof...he will have some advise on them!

[bobhenry]

You wanna do WHAT !!!!!

[angib]

I keep thinking of being woken at the crack of dawn - in the words of Bart Simpson "you mean there's another 5 o'clock in the morning????"

What would be lovely, but complex, is a routed groove in each each sidewall that allowed a wooden tambour slat blind (like on an old desk) to roll along the inside of the transparent roof.

Tambour systems supplier

[tathead41]

BoBhenry that is bad ass im designing a trolley top teardrop and the very top of the trolley top i want "see through ...what kind of plexiglass and does it bend , secure easy ??

[mikeschn]

I keep thinking of being woken at the crack of dawn - in the words of Bart Simpson "you mean there's another 5 o'clock in the morning????"

What would be lovely, but complex, is a routed groove in each each sidewall that allowed a wooden tambour slat blind (like on an old desk) to roll along the inside of the transparent roof.

Tambour systems supplier

The tambour top is an excellent idea!

Mike...

[OuttaHand]

When I see a roof like that I think three things (in this order):

1) That's pretty cool !!!
2) We'll have no privacy
3) It's now a greenhouse and inside temperatures will approach 110 degrees on a sunny day!

We put a sunroof in our tear and put curtains on the inside to avoid the issue of it becoming a greenhouse.

You would have a gorgeous view of the night sky when you go to bed. You just better be sure you didn't pick a camp site near a street light!

Just my $.02 worth. Lucky for you it's marked down today to $0

[bobhenry]

When I see a roof like that I think three things (in this order):

1) That's pretty cool !!!
2) We'll have no privacy
3) It's now a greenhouse and inside temperatures will approach 110 degrees on a sunny day!

We put a sunroof in our tear and put curtains on the inside to avoid the issue of it becoming a greenhouse.

You would have a gorgeous view of the night sky when you go to bed. You just better be sure you didn't pick a camp site near a street light!

Just my $.02 worth. Lucky for you it's marked down today to $0

#1 yep very cool It has been on three January Shivarees Temps ran from -15 wind chill ( -1 temp) to 18 with a 35 mile an hour sustained "breeze" and it was COOL. Your breath will form frost and it can "snow" inside.

#2 privacy it was never a big worry if they wanta see a fat man in his sweat pants and a tee shirt so what.

#3 yes quite warm! On a sunny 90 degree day I stuck my head in to check the inside thermometer it was pegged at 140 degrees.

And yes I have slept under a street light in a city campground

But ya know what: watching the raindrops splatter on the roof or studying the stars on a clear night and perhaps being lucky enough to catch the glimps of a shooting star before you drift off to sleep is grand. The single greatest experience was a shivaree snow storm the flakes were the size of a tennis ball and watching them explode on contact with the roof was truely hypnotic. All designs are a compromise and I still revere Chubby as my best and the most comfortable of the trailers in my stable.

[bobhenry]

BoBhenry that is bad ass im designing a trolley top teardrop and the very top of the trolley top i want "see through ...what kind of plexiglass and does it bend , secure easy ??

If I were designing a trolley top I would utilize a solid roof and rim with a mass of windows. This will give you the night views and still offer shade at high noon.



The rear window could become the permanent home for a small window shaker air conditioning unit.

In answer to your fabrication question the 1/4 lexan I used machined just like 3/8 to 1/2 plywood with one exception , if not supported well during a cut it will finish the cut on its own and the resulting crack may not go in the desired direction. It will saw, drill, and router just like wood. I found the best fabrication tool for more detailed cuts was a small 4" grinder equiped with a cut off wheel. The same grinder equiped with a 60 grit sanding disc will smooth and further shape cuts. Pre drill all fastner holes oversize and disperse fastner pressure with some type of washer or rosette to avoid pressure fractures.



Bending will be more a factor of thickness and composition.
Plexaglas will bend far better than lexan while lexan will withstand greater impacts than the plex so all have benefits. The biggest benefit to the choice of either is they will not delaminate of water rot and never requires repainting

[GuitarPhotog]

Re lexan (polycarbonate) vs plex (acrylic), the polycarbonate will be more flexible at the same thickness and will be more resistant to shattering. It will drill more easily with less chance of chipping.

But, polycarbonate costs more, and scratches much more easily, and I believe weighs more per unit area than acrylic.

<Chas>

[tathead41]

thankyou to all that replyd bobhenry,thankyou so much for yr input and experence...got another ? for yall......what kind of sealer to use to make sure the roof dosent leak ..........should i look into "fishtank" stuff ? or more craft stuff ?

[OuttaHand]

There are basically two different "sealants" we could refer to here:

1) A sealant that you would use between the roof panel and the sub-structure. This would be an adhesive, more than sealant. In my build, I used "PL Premium". It is a construction adhesive that is waterproof. I put it on the spars (cross supports) of the roof before laying the plywood down. Then I screwed the plywood down into place. I wanted the adhesive to work with the screws to make the plywood really stay put.

2) A sealant you would place on the wood to keep water from penetrating the surface. In my case I did two things here. I used a stain that had some clear poly sealant built into it. Then, when that was completely dry, I applied CPES. That is a two-part thin epoxy sealant that can soak into the wood. It fills all the voids in the wood then hardens to form a very waterproof seal.
Oh -- and make sure your stain is also a UV-protectant. That will prevent the color from washing out due to the sun.

[tathead41]

I'm looking for a sealer for a plexiglass trolley top roof like in the case of bobhenrys build it would b different than sealer for wood , more for plastic like silicone or something